


Five Times The Love-Square Watched ‘Solitude’ (And One Time They Didn’t)

by MiaBrown



Series: this whole damn city thinks it needs you (but not as much as I do) [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: 5+1 Things, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, IDENTITY SHENANIGANS, Identity Reveal, Kissing, Movie Night, Multichat - Freeform, Snekmouse - Freeform, although I'm a Marichat stan could you tell?, love-square all over the place, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:00:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27496852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiaBrown/pseuds/MiaBrown
Summary: According to Adrien, ‘Solitude’ was a very rare and special movie.Marinette wasn’t so sure about the first, but she was indeed certain about the second. This film was extraordinary, life-changingly so.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: this whole damn city thinks it needs you (but not as much as I do) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056482
Comments: 29
Kudos: 245
Collections: The Palette Cleanse Challenge of November 2020





	Five Times The Love-Square Watched ‘Solitude’ (And One Time They Didn’t)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MarinetteAgresteBrand](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarinetteAgresteBrand/gifts).
  * Translation into Русский available: [Пять раз их любовный квадрат смотрел «Одиночество» (И один раз, когда они не смогли).](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27671579) by [Bkol](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bkol/pseuds/Bkol)



> To Momo, who once said 'there should be a fic where the love-square literally just watches Solitude'. And as we all know, there's only one thing better than watching 'Solitude' once. Watching it 5 + 1 times!
> 
> A big thank you to [Khanofallorcs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khanofallorcs/pseuds/Khanofallorcs) and [MiniNoire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNoire/pseuds/MiniNoire) for beta reading!

“Not to mention this is the first time I’ve ever come to the movies with a friend!” Adrien said, smiling at her right at the moment when the ads started before the movie they sneaked out to watch in an art theatre on the Champs-Élysées. 

And even if Marinette embarrassed herself in front of him in the next five seconds, she couldn’t really bring herself to mind. Adrien called her his friend, and if that wouldn’t have made her day — that she spent with Adrien! — on its own, the happiness in his eyes at seeing his mother star in ‘Solitude’ for the first time surely would have. 

His eyes were glued to the screen during the whole movie, never leaving their place, just like the helmet on his head. 

Marinette’s attention on the other hand alternated between the mesmerizing piece of artwork, which wasn’t only charming, but consisted of multiple layers that the girl just couldn’t wait to uncover, and the film. 

She had never been so thankful that an akuma attack didn’t interrupt her activities at the most inconvenient moment.

She was grateful for the time they could spend together, even if after the movie she’d have to go back to the disappointing reality of random people chasing them down the streets, thinking she was Adrien’s girlfriend, which the boy denied vehemently. 

But that was alright. Being a good friend to him was worth all the heartache. 

* * *

When Ladybug swung by the Agreste mansion, she usually tried not to pay too much attention to whether the owner of the huge room with a wall practically made out of glass was home. This time, though, she couldn’t help herself. 

She landed on the windowsill with graceful movements and watched with a heartfelt smile as Adrien danced through his room, excitedly wiggling his butt. 

“I can’t believe he actually did that! It’s so thoughtful of him, don’t you think?” he exclaimed, back turned to the windows. 

Marinette raised one of her eyebrows in curiosity as she tried to puzzle out to whom, and what the boy could be talking about.

“Hey, where are you? I swear, if you eat the whole block of cheese again-” he was saying as he turned, seemingly searching the room with his gaze, when he spotted the superheroine in the open window. He was immediately rooted in place, mouth ajar in surprise.

“Ladybug! What-What brings you here?” he asked, an enormous blush creeping onto his face. 

“I-I was in the neighborhood, and I couldn’t help but notice how excited you were, and I-I-” Marinette apologised quickly, feeling her face flush to match Adrien’s. 

She hopped down into the room, cleared her throat and decided to try to redirect the conversation, sparing them both the embarrassment. (Not like she would have found Adrien’s buttwiggle anything _but_ adorable, but he was clearly embarrassed, judging by the colour of his cheeks.) “Who were you talking to?”

“Talking to?” He looked surprised, as if her appearance had totally thrown him off the track, but soon, realization seemed to creep up on him. “Yeah, I was talking to someone and you’ve heard it! Right! You see, it’s a funny story,” he laughed awkwardly, bringing his hand to the nape of his neck. “You see, I was- I was talking to my cat! My cat, that is a totally normal cat, and he doesn’t answer me or anything. That would be weird!”

“You have a cat?” Marinette asked, surprised. Maybe she didn’t know Adrien as well as she thought she did. “I never pegged you as a cat-person.”

“Well, then the cat is out of the bag, isn’t it?” he laughed before going on in a rush. “Anyway, I’d love to introduce you two to each other, but he’s quite unwell today. He ate a whole block of cheese — and yes, I know that cats aren’t supposed to eat cheese, but for some strange reason he’s very fond of it — so I wouldn’t want to disturb him.”

As to support his claim, an enervate “meow” could be heard from the back of the room. 

“Oh, of course, I understand!” Marinette assured him. That meow sounded anything but natural, so, surely, it was best to leave the poor pet to recover on his own. “So, what is the good news, if I may ask?” She went on, hoping that she didn’t overstep his boundaries. 

Ladybug and Adrien weren’t exactly close — it was hard enough to keep her composure around him as Marinette and the one-sided pining of a prestigious superhero surely would have made him uncomfortable, wouldn’t it? However, she was really curious about what had made him so happy in the first place.

“Oh, yes! My mom, she’s not with us anymore, but she was an actress and she’s starring in a movie, it’s called ‘Solitude’. And the copy is extremely hard to find, but I just got one from my father. This year he really stepped up his present game,” Adrien said with a goofy smile, handing her the DVD that he had held in his hand all this time but that Marinette, too focused on his bouncy mood, had failed to notice. 

“It's really good news, then! Congratulations, Adrien!” Marinette beamed, accepting the DVD case and turning it over to examine the summary, even though she knew very well what the film was about. 

“I wanted to watch it just now, actually. I know this sounds silly and you probably have a million better things to do but...” Adrien said unsurely, taking his lower lip into his mouth. “If you wanted to watch it with me...” He trailed off before looking at her from under his lashes,“I-I’d be happy if you stayed!”

Marinette was totally taken aback by his offer, to the point where she just stood with her mouth slightly open and stared at him. _Did Adrien seriously just invite her to stay and watch the movie, that was so dear to his heart, with him?_

However, Adrien must have mistook her silence, for he went on, his cheek already ablaze. “You know what, just forget it, that was a stupid idea!”

“No, no!” she protested instantly, finding her voice in the nick of time. “I’ll stay! Of course, I will! In case, it’s bot another. I mean not a bother! I-I have time now!” Marinette blurted before either of them could change their mind.

“You-You will? Awesome!” Adrien perked up immediately. 

With a barely noticeable shaking, he took the case from her and scurried to the TV. He inserted the disc into the movie-player while Marinette took place on the couch. As the movie started to play, Adrien took his place — closer than was absolutely necessary — beside her. Marinette hugged a cushion to herself, to stop her hands from wandering of their own accord. It would have been utterly embarrassing if she absentmindedly tried to take hold of his hand during the film.

Maybe being Ladybug had nothing to do with luck, for while looking in Adrien’s direction frequently, she missed all the dopey, love-sick looks the boy had thrown her way with during the movie. 

* * *

Marinette didn’t have a particularly good week. Adrien was missing from school the whole time and he couldn’t really answer the messages in the group-chat either, as he had to work on some secret-project of his father. So, naturally, Marinette was missing him dearly. 

That was the reason why she decided to build a nest of pillows and blankets in the middle of her room. She switched on the fairy lights that decorated the railing of her loft-bed, made a bowl of popcorn and turned her monitor in a way so she could see it while being nestled among the soft materials. 

She was just about to press play on her totally legally acquired copy of ‘Solitude’ — admittedly, being the superheroine of Paris had its advantages —, when a soft knock sounded on her skylight. 

“Come inside!” she yelled and looked up to witness Chat Noir opening the hatch and descending onto her bed.

“Whatcha doin’, Princess?” he asked playfully, climbing down to the floor.

He stretched himself like a cat, arching his back as Marinette played with a lock of hair, searching her mind for a straight but not too embarrassing explanation. 

“I’m having a movie night,” she settled finally. 

“Oh? And what’s on the schedule?” Chat asked, before his sight shifted to her screen and his brows lifted up under his mask. “‘Solitude’? That’s pretty hard to come by!”

“Well, I have my ways,” Marinette winked at him. “But I’m surprised you know it. Art films aren’t usually fan-favourites.”

“Do you think I only indulge in what’s popular? You wound me, Princess!” he pouted dramatically. “Let me tell you, I have exquisite taste! Besides, what can I tell you? It’s a masterpiece,” he shrugged, a smirk tugging up the corner of his lip.

“Figured you’d say that,” Marinette chuckled. “But, for once, you’re right. So, will you sit down and watch it with me or what?”

“Can I?” Chat’s eyes shone up like beacons and he didn’t waste any more time but climbed into the middle of the pillowfort, settling comfortably right next to Marinette. “Didn’t know mice built such comfortable nests.”

“Dork!” Marinette rolled her eyes, picking up a few pieces of popcorn to throw his way, in an attempt to erase the smug smirk from his face. However, Chat easily caught them with his mouth, his grin only growing. 

“At your service,” he bowed playfully, digging into the bowl and stuffing a handful of popcorn into his mouth. “Doh wadf dah ohkeyfun?” he asked but Marinette just stared at him, deadpan.

He took the hint, swallowed the bite and repeated the question that actually came out coherently this time. “So, what’s the occasion? Should I just believe you spend your Friday nights binging black-and-white movies?”

“Oh, I just felt like watching it.” Marinette laughed awkwardly, trying to play it cool but the frantic waving of her hand and a tint of pink that spread on her cheeks didn’t help her case. Chat kept regarding her with an unimpressed look, so she reluctantly added. “Okay, I watched this movie with someone really important to me, and it reminds me of him.”

“Oh.” At first that was all Chat said, looking a bit taken aback, but he made a relatively swift recovery. “So, does this mean you miss that special friend of yours?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Yeah. Yeah, I actually do,” she admitted with a small smile and before Chat could have said anything more, she pressed play, starting the movie. 

She settled deeper into the pile of blankets and rested her head comfortably on Chat’s shoulder. He pulled her closer by her shoulder — obviously only to reach the popcorn more easily — but it was so natural that they ended up staying like that until the credits started to roll. 

Marinette’s neck may have ached the next day from keeping up the position for too long, but honestly, she couldn’t bring herself to mind. 

* * *

In Marinette’s opinion, it was better not to dwell on how exactly did Aspik and Multimouse end up sitting on the top of a minibus in the drive-in movie.

The past was in the past and the only thing that mattered was that she was — repeatedly — waiting for the start of ‘Solitude’’s screening in Adrien’s company. Her heart fluttered at the thought, because even though now watching it for the fourth time and as a result of that, knowing the script by heart, it meant an hour that she could spend in Adrien’s company. 

However, he couldn’t know that it was actually his good friend, Marinette, behind the mouse mask. Which, thinking about it for a bit, was just about the best thing that could have happened to her. As Marinette or Ladybug, she had a reputation to uphold; she couldn’t make a complete fool out of herself. But Adrien most likely would never in his life see Multimouse ever again, so what did she have to lose? 

The scenario sounded suspiciously like a night of no consequences. 

Thus, Marinette gathered all her courage and leaned back on her hands to appear _laid back_ — damn it, where was Chat when she could show off her genius — as she schooled her voice and proposed the question.

“So, how do you like this superheroing business so far, Hot Stuff?”

Aspik’s head whipped around and he stared at her with eyeballs the size of a side plate. However, ever so slowly, an uncharacteristic smirk took the place of his dumbfounded expression as he stretched himself out next to her, laying on his side. He supported his head on his elbow and looked her in the eye.

“I don’t know, you tell me!”

If Marinette wasn’t sitting already, she was sure she would have fainted. However, she reminded herself that she couldn’t allow herself to get lost in those mesmerizing forest green eyes. Adrien wanted to flirt with superheroines he would never have to look in the eyes ever again? So be it. Marinette could give him just what he wanted. 

“Oh, it’s rather _mice_ , all things considered,” she practically purred. 

To her greatest surprise, Adrien laughed. 

“I’m _egg_ static to hear that! It’s always a pleasure to know, a fellow superhero doesn’t feel too _scaled_ to have fun while fulfilling their duties.”

“Well, I can’t complain. The job is pretty easy to enjoy when I have the best partner I could ever ask for,” she said with a flirty smile but it wasn’t only Aspik who occupied her thoughts when she made that statement.

Even if she enjoyed spending time with Adrien like this, she would have never in a lifetime exchanged Chat for him. And apparently, the three of them working together was out of the question. The two heroes seemed to avoid each other like fire, carefully crafting their moves to never cross paths. Marinette couldn’t understand what the whole rivalry was for; in her opinion the two boys would have gotten along _egg_ cellently, if they ever met. 

“I could say the same.” Aspik’s voice shook her out of her reverie. 

In the dark that covered them like an enormous blanket, Marinette couldn’t quite tell if his cheeks were tinted with pink, or it was just her mind playing tricks on her. 

Anyway, when seconds later the film started to roll and Adrien turned back to the huge screen to watch with shiny eyes as the three meter tall image of his mother appeared, Marinette’s cocky smile dropped. 

Despite her initial plan, she couldn’t stop herself from wishing that Adrien knew who he was talking to so smoothly just a minute ago. Maybe that little detail could have life-changing consequences. 

* * *

Marinette swore she was a responsible superhero and Guardian, never using her powers to her own advantage. Not frequently, anyway. But she was also an adventurous and curious spirit, so she just _had to_ know. 

She stood in the middle of her room, dressed as Multimouse and was ready to acquire the knowledge she yearned for, when the skylight leading to her balcony burst open and a soaked, dripping Chat Noir let himself inside through it.

"What _paw_ ful weather!" he fretted, trying, but failing, not to soak her bed as he climbed down to the room. When he finally reached ground level, he looked up, his sight shifting to Marinette who stood frozen stock-still in place, like a deer caught in the headlights. 

"Am I… interrupting something?" Chat asked cautiously, scratching the nape of his neck. 

"Oh, no, I was just about to- Well, nevermind. You're going to catch a cold like that!" She came back to her senses and scurried to get him dry towels immediately. 

"Why did you go out in weather like this!" she scolded him as she gave him a towel to scrub dry his leather outfit, while she wrapped another around his head, drying his hair with careful strokes. 

"I just had to get away," Chat mumbled as he dutifully wiped the water off of himself, all the while bending his knees a little so Marinette could reach his crown. "I didn't think it'd rain like this."

"But, kitty, it’s been raining since morning!"

"I, um… didn't really want to be home and I didn't know where I could go, so I just wandered around the city," he shrugged.

Marinette's hands stilled and she cautiously elevated the tower she was holding to look her kitty in the eyes. "I'm so sorry, Chat. But you’re always welcome here, I hope you know that."

"Thanks, Mari- Multimouse," he said sheepishly but flashed her a grin in no time.

Marinette had a feeling that he was trying to pretend nothing had really happened, even if that wasn’t the truth. She stifled a scoff and internally cursed her own rules that prevented her from being there for her partner when he probably needed her the most. 

She couldn't encourage him to share more about his home life without threatening his identity, so she had to settle for a sad smile. 

"I'll be right back, make yourself comfortable until then!"

Marinette stayed clear of being spotted by her parents — who were thankfully busy downstairs in the bakery — as she prepared two big mugs of hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows on top in the kitchen, and returned to her room. 

She found Chat scrunched over her computer, looking at the file that she had opened before his arrival disturbed her plans. She hid a smile as she offered him one of the mugs, before sitting down on the floor in the middle of the room with crossed-legs and blowing on her hot chocolate. 

"Do you miss him again? Your special friend," Chat said after a long bit of comfortable silence that they both spent by sipping their drinks. 

"Yeah," Marinette acknowledged, falling her eyes. "He wasn't in school all week." She shrugged but continued on a more upbeat tone. "But hey, modeling stuff for Fashion Week must be a lot of fun, so I'm happy for him."

She felt the fake smile melt off of her face as she chugged down the rest of her drink. Knowing Adrien, she didn't really think he had found Fashion Week as fun as she would have. 

Chat seemed to contemplate his answer before smiling at her. However, it wasn't one of his so well-known smirks or flirty grins, this smile was full of softness and sincerity. It was so intoxicating, it made goosebumps rise on Marinette's arms. 

"For what it’s worth, I do believe he missed you too." 

She didn't answer immediately, only smiled behind her mug to herself. “I don’t think you’re right, but it’s nice of you to think I could be so important to him.”

“Why do you doubt yourself so much? I bet he thinks you’re charming, and wonderful and he very much would like to spend more time with you!” Chat said confidently. 

“Chat, that’s ridiculous!” Marinette laughed. “You’re technically saying he likes me. Like, _likes_ likes me.”

“Am-am I?” he recoiled, staring at Marinette in disbelief. “I-Is that what all of that means?”

“I mean, charming AND wonderful? Come on, Chat, how much of a _sheltered_ cat are you to think that’s platonic,” Marinette laughed, shaking her head playfully. 

But Chat didn’t answer. He sat, frozen in place and stared at her with a dopey look. His lack of blinking or showing any other kind of life-signals made Marinette cautious.

“Chat, don’t freak out, I was joking!” she smiled at him. “And it isn't worth fretting over, anyway. I’m sure he doesn’t think I’m either wonderful or charming. Even if- yeah, nevermind.”

“Even if?” Chat prompted almost exasperatedly, leaning forward in his seat. He seemed to be practically clinging onto her next few words. Marinette just didn’t get what could have drawn such a reaction from him. 

“It’s silly, really,” she said, biting her lower lip. But this was her partner who looked at her with pleading kitten eyes. If there was someone she could share her secrets with, it was him. “Even if I’d like him to,” she said finally, blushing at her declaration.

“You would?” 

He looked more stunned than Marinette would like him to. Just a few minutes earlier he thought Adrien could be head over heels for her and now he was shocked that she liked him herself? Double standards! 

“I told you it was silly,” she scoffed and desperately searched her mind for a less embarrassing topic to redirect the conversation. She reached out to grab her pigtail and twirl a lock of hair around her finger anxiously but she couldn’t find it, for her hair was up in Multimouse’s buns. It gave her an idea though. “So are you not even curious why I am all powered up at home, with no akuma in sight?”

When he didn’t say anything just kept staring at her with a dazed expression, she continued. “As much I can tell you, it’s for research purposes.”

Trying not to be bothered by his silence, Marinette placed her mug beside her on the floor, stood up and called for her superpower to give a demonstration. As soon as she summoned Multitude, she divided into two little multimice, both the size of a ball of yarn. 

This was the point she realized the mistake she made and stared longingly at her wireless mouse with which she could have started the movie. That sat on her desk now, at unreachable heights. 

“Um, would you mind helping me out?” one of the Multimice asked Chat awkwardly. 

The hero shook his head, visibly coming back to his senses finally. He put down his mug and crossed the room, bending down to Marinette’s level. “Need a lift?” he asked with a small smirk and let the 10 centimeter tall Marinette climb onto his palm. 

“To the computer, please!” she commanded playfully, rolling her eyes at her partner’s antics. He could have just brought the controller to her but he carried her to the desk instead and watched with a chuckle as Marinette grabbed the item that rivalled her in size. 

It looked like she booked a retour ticket, as she travelled back to her initial place the same way she departed, on Chat’s palm. Not that she was complaining. 

The Multimouse left on the floor gestured to Chat to sit down and as he did, facing the screen, she climbed up to his shoulder. Once there, she pressed a light kiss onto the other superhero’s cheek. 

“Thanks for the ride!” she winked, before turning around to find a comfortable position on his shoulder. The other Multimouse was also busy enough by climbing up to his other shoulder, to miss the blush that appeared on Chat’s cheeks. 

“So, what’s the plan, Mousinette?” he asked, clearing his throat. 

“Unfortunately, ‘Solitude’ doesn’t have a 3D version but I think I just found the solution to this evident shortcoming,” the two Multimice said in unison, both of them pulling out black-lensed glasses from the pocket of their super suit and placing it on their noses. “It’s time to test the hypothesis! I hope the two sets of pictures from different angles work this way too,” she grinned.

“I’ve always had a feeling that you’d have even more convoluted plans than Ladybug,” Chat laughed, pressing the play button. 

Marinette rolled her eyes affectionately and leaned onto his neck, settling in comfortably. She figured that he must have been unaware of the purring that erupted from his throat at the motion. Not that she minded it, it was actually quite adorable. 

* * *

_This was_ _not_ _a date._

They both agreed on that. Although a prominent part of Marinette wished they hadn’t. 

This wasn’t to say she was over Adrien. But that also wasn’t to say she was still indifferent to her partner. This was all only to say that she was very confused and potentially prone to make hasty decisions. 

So, when Chat Noir invited his partner to a not-romantic not-date to the park, where they could listen to the crickets under the moonlit sky while stargazing and lying on a comfortable blanket so close to each other that their shoulders brushed, waiting for the public open-air screening that they came to watch from a distance to start, the fool that she was, she accepted immediately. 

“That’s the Cassiopeia!” Chat pointed up at the sky to the left of him, his arm hovering over Marinette’s black-spotted mask. She tried to decipher what exactly she was supposed to look at — not his biceps, she was fairly certain about that — but she just couldn’t find the constellation. 

“The one that starts at the star near the crown of the tree?” she asked uncertainly, pointing up at the sky herself. 

“No, a little more to the left.” Chat took hold of her pointing finger and maneuvered it so it was now directed at a brighter star in the open sky. “It looks like a ‘W’,” Chat added, tracing the imaginary line connecting the stars with her finger. 

“I see it!” Marinette exclaimed enthusiastically as the constellation suddenly shone up before her mind’s eyes. 

She turned her head to the right to check, they were looking at the same thing with Chat, but they weren’t, for Chat stared into her eyes, while she stared back at him. He was so close, she could feel his breath on her cheeks as he said, “good job, M’lady!”

Marinette couldn’t take her eyes off of him and her eyelids slowly started to flutter shut as she leaned closer, at the exact moment when Chat disappeared from her vision field as he drew apart and sat up, hugging his knees.

Marinette followed suit, startled and feeling an embarrassingly crimson blush taking over her features. 

“I-Is something wrong, Chat?” she asked timidly after clearing her throat, placing one hand on his shoulder. 

“I, um… I wanted to talk to you about something. Or rather, someone,” he said with a sigh, turning towards her. He gently removed her hand from his shoulder and placed it back to her knee. As they sat facing each other with legs-crossed, he seemed very distant all of the sudden.

“Okay, I’m listening,” Marinette managed, her heart thumping hard in her throat.

“M’lady, I’ve always known that our feelings were never in sync,” he started, looking at her with those sad kitten eyes. “And for a while now, I’ve also realized that that would never change. It doesn’t matter how I feel, because there are things that just can’t be forced. And I’m- I’m not saying that I’ve moved on, but there’s someone with whom I think I just might be able to, and I really want to try it. I want to give us a chance.”

He shook his head as if to clear it. “No, that’s not entirely it. I want to give myself a chance. To be happy, even if that is without you. And I think that with her I could be. So, I hope you can forgive me, if I move on.”

Marinette felt unshed tears welling in her eyes, in her throat, suffocating her. Her chest felt tight as the weight of wasted chances weighed heavy on her. 

“Is she- Is she that extraordinary?” she managed to choke out. 

It wasn’t the most urgent question, wasn’t the most important question either but it was the one that in the heat of the moment stumbled out of her mouth. 

“She’s the most special friend I’ve ever had,” Chat said with a goofy smile.

“I see.” Marinette took a deep breath and looked up to the stars above her to abolish even the telltale signs of tears from her eyes. In a few seconds she turned back to her partner with a half-hearted smile. “Congratulations, Chat! I hope you’ll be very happy with her!”

“Thank you, M’lady! That means a lot to me.” Chat sighed contently, releasing his shoulders. He went on with a dreamy expression on his face. “You know, I only recently found out that she likes me, civilian-me, and I just… I don’t understand how I did not notice her before.”

 _That makes the two of us,_ Marinette thought bitterly. 

“She’s creative, and clever, and charming! And overall wonderful!” Marinette might have thought more about his familiar choice of words if the literal stars shining in his eyes wouldn't have distracted her. _That was the look he used to give her. Her!_

She figured the keyword was _used to_.

“Honestly, I feel a little guilty,” Chat admitted, looking down to his lap where his hands kept playing with the fabric of his tail. “I only know she likes me because she admitted it to Chat Noir, but she doesn’t know it’s me, so… But I swear I wasn’t trying to pry after her secrets, I just wanted to understand her!” he explained swiftly, looking back up at her to search for reassurance.

“If she has a crush on you, and you return her feelings, I can’t imagine that she'd be upset about whether you picked up on the clues on your own or with a little help,” Marinette said with an encouraging smile. She surely wouldn’t have cared.

“I hope you’re right. I-I actually want to ask her out on a date soon. If she accepts, I’ll take her to this movie we’re watching tonight,” he said with a half-sided smile, scratching the nape of his neck. 

“To-to ‘Solitude’?” Marinette couldn’t help but ask. 

She felt like the air had been sucked out of her lungs. _It was her movie with Chat!_ (Okay, if she was being totally fair it was her movie with Chat _and_ Adrien, but that was not the point now!) _How could he take another girl to_ _their_ _movie?!_

“Yes. You know, it’s a pretty funny story. We’ve seen it an embarrassing amount of times, only she doesn’t know about half of it. Identity shenanigans, am I right?” Chat rolled his eyes as he laughed. “But actually, we watched this on our first hangout as friends, just the two of us.” 

Marinette couldn’t fight the feeling of overbearing familiarity taking over her. Why did she feel like she knew this story better than the back of her hand? 

“I should have seen then and there that she has always been more than just a friend. Can you believe that I didn’t notice that when people actually thought that we were-” He bit his lip, leaving off mid-sentence, his worried look dashing up at his partner. 

Though Marinette wasn’t there anymore. At least not in soul. That must have escaped her body somewhere between ‘charming and wonderful’ and ‘more than just a friend’. Because the puzzle pieces finally clicked and they fit into each other so beautifully, she couldn’t have even imagined they could fit like that. 

She knew this story, because it was hers too. It was _theirs_. 

“I shouldn’t tell you so much about my civilian life. I’m sorry, I guess I go carri-”

“You were on a date,” Marinette breathed, staring at him, totally mesmerized. She tried to take in everything all at once. The familiar shade of the forest green eyes, the usually much more ordered locks, the well-known line of his jaw.

“What?” 

The high pitched noise that Chat- that _Adrien_ made had her squeaking too.

“People thought that you were on a date! Watching ‘Solitude’! In the cinema on Champs-Élysées!” Marinette jabbered. 

At the growing panic on her partner’s face she felt her grin widen. 

Chat startledly tried to formulate an excuse that he had no opportunity to propose, because Marinette scurried forward in one fluid motion and jumped upon his neck, essentially strangling him with a hug. She buried her face in the crook of his neck as she whispered in his ear. “Yes, Adrien, I’d like to go on a date with you!”

“Ladybug?” She heard his voice and felt his hands resting on her shoulders as he pushed her away just enough to look her in the eyes with his amazed, soul-searching gaze. 

“Marinette,” she said softly, a sweet smile tugging up the corners of her lips.

“Marinette?” 

“Marinette.”

The moment of realization was evident. Chat’s face lit up like a beacon and the stars were back in their place; in his eyes, when he looked at her. _Her_ stars. “Marinette!”

“Marinette!” he repeated again with a smile, as if barely believing she wasn’t a mere creature of his imagination. 

She linked her hands at the back of his neck just when he cupped her cheek with one of his hands and lovingly stroked it with his thumb. “Marinette, would you-“

“Yes, yes to anything!” she said, without waiting for the question to fully form, pulling him closer until she closed the distance between them and their lips met in the sweetest kiss she could ever imagine. 

Adrien kissed her like his life depended on it. His thumb kept on caressing her cheek while his other hand found her back and pulled her closer, until she was practically sitting on his lap. He deepened the kiss that Marinette reciprocated with equal eagerness, like he was the air she couldn’t live without. All the sensations overtook her system, her head felt dizzy and her heart fluttered with the indescribable happiness against the cage of her chest. 

Not breaking their union for even a second, Marinette tried to shift into a more comfortable position. However, a misplaced movement was enough to send her stumbling back to the blanket under them, inevitably jerking Adrien with herself by their intertwined limbs. 

He fell on top of her and a heartfelt laugh left his mouth while he elevated himself a little to find her lips with his again and press a loving kiss against them. He brushed the locks of her fringe out of her eyes and looked at her with an expression that Marinette had no better way to describe, but the look of love. 

She ran her fingers through his hair and felt a love-sick smile appear on her face as her hands found the cat ears that sat on top of his crown. Driven by a silly impulse, she scratched his head at the back of those ears. Adrien only laughed and leaned down to her again to plant one more peck on her mouth. 

When he eventually broke the kiss, he didn’t draw apart but pressed his forehead against her. “You didn’t even wait for the question. What if I wanted to ask you to marry me?” he asked with a Cheshire-grin. 

“I would have said yes to that too,” Marinette answered with a smirk of her own over her flushed cheeks, as she stretched up to press a kiss to her dazed boyfriend’s lips. 

“I totally should have asked that,” he mumbled against her lips, drawing a giggle from her. 

“What if we start with that movie date you promised?” she asked when they parted and she could breathe normally again. Well, more or less.

“Do you really want to watch ‘Solitude’ for the...” he trailed off, visibly calculating the alarming number of instances they’d seen this movie together, without being aware of it until now. “For the — I can’t believe it was you, even when I thought it wasn’t — sixth time?” he shook his head with a smile.

As if on cue, the already so well known intro sounded in the background and the light of the huge screen filled the park.

“I want to watch it again!” Marinette insisted with a mischievous smile. “Even if not right now.”

No objections could be heard from Adrien, as instead of paying attention to the movie, she pulled him back down for another kiss.


End file.
